Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe for Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes only looks fancy. It’s easy to make in under 30 minutes and the flavor is delicious!

Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp and Cherry Tomatoes – Don’t you want to just dive right in? I’m overly obsessed with this dish. Those colors, that briny flavor, the little bit of spice…

But the best part of this dish? It’ll be on your table in under 30 minutes.

I have been able to find squid ink pasta at Trader Joe’s or in some of the local Portland specialty stores. However, if you’re having a difficult time finding it where you are, you can always substitute plain pasta, or order it online. I’ve found that the fresh squid ink pasta has the most flavor, while the dry pasta flavor is less noticeable.

What Does Squid Ink Pasta Taste Like?

The squid ink is what gives the pasta it’s gorgeous black color, it also gives it an amazing flavor. Squid ink pasta has a rich, briny flavor with the faint hint of sea saltiness, which makes it absolutely perfect for pairing with seafood.

I made a simple sauce with cherry tomatoes, shrimp, basil, lemon and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I wanted to keep things simple so that the flavor of the pasta could really shine.

If you loved this Squid Ink Pasta I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: squid ink pasta

Prep Time:10minutes

Cook Time:20minutes

Total Time:30minutes

Servings:4servings

Calories:570kcal

Author:Platings & Pairings

This recipe for Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes only looks fancy. It's easy to make in under 30 minutes and the flavor is delicious!

While the pasta cooks, add the shrimp to tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked.

Add the cooked pasta, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and half the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet with the shrimp & tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta is coated in the sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste. (If the sauce seems dry, add in some of the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Turn off the heat and stir in half the basil.

Garnish with remaining basil and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 570Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Cholesterol 315mg105%

Sodium 1087mg45%

Potassium 433mg12%

Total Carbohydrates 72g24%

Dietary Fiber 4g16%

Sugars 7g

Protein 35g70%

Vitamin A17.9%

Vitamin C63.7%

Calcium20.1%

Iron35.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was originally published in 2015. It was updated in 2019 to update the content and photos. The recipe remains the same.

Tips for Making Squid Ink Pasta:

You’ll have leftover tomato paste if using a can. Put those leftovers into a baggie and stick it in the freezer. Pull it out and thaw it under warm running water whenever you need tomato paste.

A zester is a super handy tool – Use it for zesting the lemons in this recipe, or for grating cheese or nutmeg.

Wine Pairings for Squid Ink Pasta:

Opt for a lively white wine such as an Italian Verdicchio or a Pinot Gris from Oregon.

A light-bodied, acidic red wine such as a young, slightly chilled Chianti will work well with the tomato sauce in this recipe.

103 comments

I had squid ink pasta for the first time in Venice when we were there a few years ago — I fell in love with it, but have had a hard time finding where I live. Love how you kept this so simple – the flavors sound delicious and it’s just beautiful to look at! PS Jealous about Amazon local — wish we had it here in NC!

we were in Sardinia just a week ago and found squid rice and pasta, it was so yummy, had to keep going back to the restaurant to have more. Delicious, now that we just got back we are already looking to cook it.

Hello! I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog this afternoon! I live in San Francisco but I travel up to the PNW every week, so I love finding “local” bloggers. This recipe looks DELICIOUS – so many good flavors going on!!

Such an interesting and vibrant looking dish! I was always skeptical to trying squid ink linguini, mainly because of its color. Silly me 🙂 Paired with seafood and tomatoes looks so inviting. Thanks for sharing it.

This is absolutely beautiful! It sounds delicious! You are so lucky to live in a place where you can find exciting ingredients like squid ink. Here in WV we are very limited in that area, but this dish looks amazing.

Wanna hear something crazy? I have NEVER had squid ink pasta! Say WHAT?! Blasphemy for a chick growing up along the Pacific Northwest coast eh? I need to give this a whirl. SOON! Gorgeous photos, as always Erin!

Hi Paloma – Thank you for catching this! I had revised the recipe to use white wine instead of clam juice (because who doesn’t want more wine!), but forgot to adjust the recipe accordingly. It has now been revised. However, you can always swap out the white wine for the same amount of clam juice if you prefer.

So glad you liked it Joey! This isn’t one of my most popular recipes, because I think people are a bit intimidated by squid ink, but I think it’s just delicious! So cool that your noodles came all the way from Japan too!

That sounds fascinating! It definitely makes for a stunning presentation. I bet it would be good with Greek wines, especially those from Santorini. They tend to have a very sea-like, briny, flavor that seems like it would work great with this dish.

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